The Mohali Municipal Council (MC) has earmarked a sum of Rs 24.8 crore for the development of the city in the next fiscal year,an increase of approximately Rs 4 crore from the current financial year.

A provision to this effect has been made in the Rs 35.18 crore income proposals for 2009-10,which will come up for approval at a special meeting of the civic body at the

Municipal Bhawan in Sector 68 on Friday.

The new budget sees a hike of almost 20 per cent from the Rs 29.26 crore budget provisions of the current financial year,MC Executive Officer (EO) A K Goel said on Thursday.

As per the budget provisions of 2009-10,MC proposes to earn Rs 32.48 crore from various heads while Rs 2.7 crore will be carried forward from the current years income.

While a maximum income of Rs 23.8 crore is expected from VAT in lieu of octroi,Rs 3.25 crore is the proposed income from octroi on electricity as compared to Rs 2.96 crore likely to be earned from this head till the end of this fiscal year.

Through the tax levied on petrol and diesel,the MC proposes to earn Rs 1.05 crore while a revenue of Rs 1.25 crore from additional excise duty,Rs 1 crore each from advertisement fee and water supply and sewerage charges,Rs 26 lakh from compounding fee and Rs 1 lakh from site plan approval fee is expected to be earned in 2009-10.

The MC proposes to spend Rs 8.56 crore on establishment and Rs 1.32 crore on contingency fund next year.

Of the approved budgetary provisions of Rs 29.26 crore for 2008-09,the MC has earned Rs 24.51 crore till January 31 while it expects to generate another Rs 4.84 crore till March 31.

SAD-BJP combine loses 4 seats in District Planning Committee electionsIn the first-ever election to the members of the Mohali District Planning Committee held on Thursday evening,the ruling SAD-BJP combine lost 4 of the total 12 seats. While the ruling alliance was wiped out in the election from the quota of civic bodies by losing 4 of the total 5 seats,it swept the polls from the Zila Parishad quota by winning all 7 seats unopposed. This is the first time that the state government has decided to hold elections to the posts of members of District Planning Committees,who were so far selected through nomination. During the election,Gurdhian Singh from Nayagaon civic body was the lone nominee of the SAD-BJP combine,who emerged victorious,while Amrik Singh Somal from Mohali,Nachhattar Singh from Zirakpur,Netar Muni Gautam from Kurali and Kamal Kishore from Kharar were the victorious nominees from the Congress group,jointly supported by Kharar MLA Balbir Sidhu,former Punjab Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang and Zirakpur MC president N.K. Sharma.